The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Vehicle alternator systems typically include a rotor, stator coils, and a voltage regulator assembly. The rotor rotates within the stator coils, and when energized, the rotor generates a magnetic field to induce a voltage in the stator coils. The voltage regulator assembly varies the current sent to the rotor to vary the magnetic field generated by the rotor. As such, the alternator maintains a voltage output within a preset range, regardless of the speed of the engine and/or the electrical load of the vehicle subsystems.
Typically, vehicle manufacturers estimate the steady-state (or “stabilized”) current that the vehicle will draw under a range of operating conditions (e.g., low/high speed driving, light/heavy electrical loading, hot/cold ambient temperatures, etc.). The manufacturer then selects an alternator with a maximum steady-state output level appropriate for these conditions. Thus, alternator systems are often identified according to the maximum steady-state current that the alternator system can produce. However, electrical resistance in the vehicle electrical system can vary, which can cause the actual current output to exceed the maximum steady-state levels.
For instance, at low ambient temperatures, electrical resistance is reduced in the alternator system and other parts of the vehicle electrical system. Accordingly, even if the alternator system is properly outputting the preset voltage in these cold conditions, the reduced electrical resistance causes the alternator system to output current above the maximum steady-state levels.
Thus, it is typically necessary to include higher capacity components (e.g., larger gauge wiring, higher capacity fuses, etc.) such that the alternator system can handle these elevated current levels. As such, the cost of materials can be unnecessarily high, manufacturing the alternator system can be more difficult due to the larger gauge wiring, and the like.